Life After You
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: Post-Sacrifice Oneshot, Never did he think that he would feel the pain of losing the one person in his life that he could love for eternity but sometimes cruel tricks of fate can take everything away...


**~I thought of this oneshot while I was listening to the song **_**Life After You**_** by Daughtry and I decided to type it up. It's loosely based off the song I mentioned above and it's really short and slightly AU because I haven't read **_**Sacrifice**_** and I doubt I ever will. It is Luke/Mara angst though it is more Luke/Ben and it's my first attempt at an angst oneshot. I hope you like it and reviews are much appreciated.**

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**Life After You**

**By xXJedi Knight BlazeXx**

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"_All that I'm after is a life full of laughter_

_As long as I'm laughin' with you_

_I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after_

_After the life we've been through_

_'Cause I know there's no life after you." ~Life After You by Daughtry_

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Never did he think that he would feel the pain of losing the one person in his life that he could love for eternity. He thought their love would never end, he prayed that it would last until the end of their days but sometimes cruel tricks of fate can take everything away.

Luke Skywalker often thought back upon the day he first met his beloved wife, Mara Jade. It had been during the Thrawn crisis and she had been trying to kill him but he had sensed the immediate power behind her. He knew that she was powerful in the Force but then he didn't know just how important she was to become in his life.

He also thought back onto the days during the Corellian crisis, the mission to the Chiss planet where Luke had proposed to her, the mission to the Unknown Regions three years into their marriage and the Yuuzhan Vong war that so recently ended.

But Luke never thought he would lose his beloved wife, he thought she would be with him forever. He didn't know who the one that killed his beloved wife was but he knew he had to find whoever had done it. His wife had done so much for him and for his family as well as the New Jedi Order and she deserved a chance at peace in the afterlife after her killer has been brought to justice.

There was only one spark of hope left in Luke, one last memory of his beloved wife that he knew he could always keep close to him and that was Ben Skywalker, his fourteen year old son. The boy was much like him but his personality closely resembled his mother's and Luke felt that lifted his spirits.

But he couldn't help but feel a deep pang of sadness go through him as he thought of his wife, of the many memories they shared together. He remembered the good times, the bad times, and he even remembered the times when they were arguing or laughing.

He wished that everything could go back to the way it had been. If only the Yuuzhan Vong war and the Killik crisis had never happened than Luke knows his wife would never have been killed. Mara was always there for him, when she wasn't trying to kill him, and now that she was gone, it felt as if part of his heart had been torn out of him and shattered into millions of pieces.

Luke now understood how his father felt when his wife had died, the pain was so unbearable for Anakin Skywalker that it made his transformation into Darth Vader all the more easy. Luke told himself that he would not end up like his father and yet he couldn't help but wonder how he was supposed to get through this all.

His son was there for him, yes, but Luke couldn't help but want more. He felt that his life with Mara was his entire life and now that Mara was gone, his life was over.

Only a few days had gone by since Mara was killed and Luke couldn't help but wonder if living was possible after he lost the love of his life. He knew that his son would probably be upset if something should happen to him but perhaps his innermost thoughts were right. Perhaps there was no life after his beloved was taken so cruelly away from him.

The funeral had been peaceful and Luke had tried his hardest not to cry during the funeral but he was sure that at least a few tears had slipped down his face. He just hoped that no one had noticed though he was positive his son had noticed.

Ben always seemed to notice those simple things and that was why he tried his best to comfort his father. Luke wanted so much to know who had killed his beloved wife but for some reason no one could figure it out.

The days following the funeral weren't too busy and Luke found himself spending more and more of his time alone. Today wasn't one of those days and Luke could tell that the instant he felt his son's presence nearby.

Ben slowly made his way to his father's side before sitting down beside him but he kept silent. His silent presence in the Force helped Luke to quench the sadness that was raging inside of him. Ben stayed at his side and stayed silent, knowing Luke would speak when he was ready to.

Ben's presence comforted Luke but it would never get rid of the agony that Luke knew he would always feel at the loss of his wife. Mara may have been the Emperor's Hand, working for Emperor Palpatine himself, but she was still a loyal ally, after many years that is, and the love of Luke's life. Luke couldn't help but remember when he proposed to her in Thrawn's cloning chambers back before the Yuuzhan Vong war.

Luke let out a long sigh as he remembered that day and his son glanced at him but stayed silent though his blue eyes were questioning. Luke looked at his son, examining the boy, he looked like a combination of Luke and Mara, with red hair and blue eyes and he certainly had a personality that included many of Luke and Mara's traits. Ben was the only thing Luke had left to remind him of his beloved wife.

Luke smiled gently at his son. "I'm all right, Son," he murmured.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "You don't seem all right. You know mom wouldn't have wanted you to continue to grieve over her death," he pointed out.

"I know. It's hard though," Luke said turning his gaze back to the sky that lay above him. Ben gently put an arm around Luke's waist and Luke put his arm around his son's shoulders, content with Ben's presence at his side.

"Mom would have wanted you to go on with your life, Dad. Aunt Leia and Uncle Han seem a bit worried about you, so is Jaina," Ben said.

Luke gazed at his son. "You remind me of your mother," he murmured.

Ben smiled. "Maybe that's enough to remind you that even though mom is gone, she didn't entirely leave you, she will always be with you, Dad. The Force will make sure of that and you know it," he said.

Luke smiled slightly. "You speak so freely about the Force even though you were afraid of it for quite a while," he commented.

"My time with Jacen certainly changed my views." Ben fell silent and Luke got the feeling that Ben was keeping something from him but he decided not to press him on it. If Ben didn't want to talk about something than Luke knew he shouldn't push him.

Luke sighed. "You're right, though. I know Mara will always be with me, I just can't help but miss her," he said.

"I know Dad and I'm sure that she misses you too." Ben paused for a moment before adding, "It's not as though you are alone; I'm still here after all."

Luke smiled. "Yes, you're right," he said. He tightened his grip on his son. "And I'll make sure to keep it that way."

Father and son turned their gazes to the sky above and both of them could feel it when a new presence joined them. Luke glanced up in time to find, at Ben's other side, the faint ghostly apparition of his departed wife. He has seen Force ghosts before, the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and his father, Anakin Skywalker, had come to him after the Battle of Endor after all. But Luke felt overjoyed to see his wife floating beside their son with her arm resting across his shoulders.

Before Luke could speak, though, Mara smiled before nodding once and then she was gone, disappearing in a flicker of light and the room was once again plunged into shadows. Luke gazed for a long moment at the spot where his wife had stood before looking down at his son to find Ben looking at him.

"You saw her too?" Luke asked softly.

Ben nodded. "She's watching over us, just like I said she was," he replied.

"You're right she'll always be with us even if only in memory but that is good enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, Dad, I agree. So long as we keep mom's memory alive, she will never be completely gone from our lives."

Father and son smiled at each other before turning their gazes back to the sky, comforted with the knowledge that though Mara Jade Skywalker was forever gone from the living, her memory would live on in the hearts of her husband and her son.

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**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: okay, I tried to make it angst but it turned down a different road when I neared the end of it**

**Darth: it was short**

**Blaze: duh, I said it would be. Reviews are much appreciated and I hope that you like it.**


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